


love hidden beneath this skin

by fraudulentzodiacs



Series: heart like yours [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, but different from my other soulmate au lol, mistaken soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:16:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23885119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fraudulentzodiacs/pseuds/fraudulentzodiacs
Summary: Jamie’s Name starts coming in when he’s eighteen. He’s just started playing for the Rockets, he’s been drafted by Dallas, and he’s just beginning to see the beginnings of what he’s sure is a T. His heart races as he thinks of the possibilities - of the one possibility he desperately hopes is the one that comes to fruition.Or, the one where Jamie thinks he knows who his soulmate is, but oh how he's wrong.
Relationships: Jamie Benn/Tyler Seguin, Tyson Barrie/Jamie Benn
Series: heart like yours [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727155
Comments: 6
Kudos: 168





	love hidden beneath this skin

**Author's Note:**

> So, while talking to my lovely friends in our Hockey RPF discord, I asked for suggestions for "My Heart is Always Yours" (my Jamie/Tyson soulmate AU) and I LOVED this suggestion from avelon-hunter (on tumblr) for an AU where a soulmate's name appears on your skin slowly and Jamie sees "Ty" and is so sure it's Tyson. While it wouldn't work for that fic, I loved it so much I wrote what was supposed to be a quick fic and quickly spiraled into 2.4k of this.

Jamie’s Name starts coming in when he’s eighteen. He’s just started playing for the Rockets, he’s been drafted by Dallas, and he’s just beginning to see the beginnings of what he’s sure is a  _ T _ . His heart races as he thinks of the possibilities - of the one possibility he desperately hopes is the one that comes to fruition. He hides the mark growing on his wrist, though. 

He has to be sure. 

So he skates, and plays, and through it all his best friend is right there beside him. 

_ Tyson _

They share Rookie of the Year, and Jamie’s sure he’s not imagining it when he begins to see a  _ y _ slowly fading in. It’s there, and Jamie feels hope rising in him despite his best efforts. Lots of names begin with  _ Ty _ , he reasons. It could be anything. But then, he looks at Tyson as they’re out to dinner with the team, and Tyson’s there next to him and he’s smiling and pressing his leg against Jamie’s throwing an arm around Jamie’s shoulders. It feels comfortable and familiar and it’s everything that Jamie’s ever wanted. He loves Tyson and he knows, deep down, that eventually the name that completes itself on his skin will be his best friend’s. 

He plays another season with the Rockets, with Tyson, and then he does it. He makes the show. 

He’s going to Dallas. 

Tyson was drafted months earlier by Colorado, but he’s staying in Kelowna, and Jamie misses him before he’s even left. They’ve been separated before, but not since Jamie’s Name started to come in. It hasn’t really changed in over a year, but the  _ Ty _ is still clear and Jamie is still certain that it’s Tyson. 

Tyson throws a rager of a party to celebrate Jamie making the Stars roster, and Jamie’s maybe more than a little drunk on cheap beer and being around Tyson. He stumbles through the party, throwing himself on top of Jordie when he finds him stretched out on the living room couch. 

“Having fun, baby brother?” Jordie asks him, and Jamie smiles. 

“The best!” He exclaims, and Jordie shoves him off of him and onto the floor. 

“Who got you so drunk?”

“Tyson!” Jamie sees Jordie roll his eyes. 

“Of course he did.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” Jamie debates climbing back onto the couch, but the floor is comfortable enough so he just stares up at Jordie instead. 

“Sure thing.”

“My Name started coming in a few years ago.” Jordie’s silent for a long moment, and Jamie wonders if he didn’t hear him. 

“You never said anything.”

“It’s not all there yet. But I know who it is.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jamie watches as Jordie unconsciously rubs his thumb against the  _ Jessic _ on his wrist. 

“Yeah.” Jamie says softly. “It’s Tyson.”

Jamie’s not sure what kind of response he expected, but it’s definitely not Jordie’s laughter. 

“Why are you laughing, you asshole?”

“How are you sure it’s Tyson?”

“Look!” Jamie does climb off the floor at that, pulling the sleeve of his shirt up enough to show Jamie the  _ Ty _ . “See, it’s him.”

“Chubbs, it could be anyone. Lots of names start with Ty.”

“No, it’s him. I know it.” Jamie stomps away, throwing an “I’ll prove it to you.” over his shoulder as he leaves. He finds Tyson on the back deck, thankfully alone. 

“Tys!” Jamie greets, and Tyson’s smile is warm and open and  _ fuck it _ , Jamie decides. He pushes into Tyson’s space, cupping his face and pulling until their lips crash into each other. He feels Tyson freeze underneath him, but a second later he sinks into Jamie, clinging like his life depends on it. 

Later, after everyone has left and they’re naked and satisfied in Tyson’s bed, Jamie turns his head to find Tyson lifting Jamie’s arm until he can wrap his fingers around Jamie’s wrist. He rubs his thumb along Jamie’s Name and a shiver rocks Jamie’s entire body. 

“My Name hasn’t started to come in yet.” Tyson whispers, his eyes on Jamie’s mark. 

“It’ll happen.”

“You really think it’s me?”

“It has to be you.” Jamie tells him, throwing himself over Tyson’s body. Tyson’s legs spread to welcome him, his hands running up and down Jamie’s sides while Jamie leans down to drop kisses along Tyson’s neck. 

He goes to Dallas, leaves Tyson behind in Canada, but not before Tyson places a gentle kiss on Jamie’s Name and promises to come and visit. Jamie settles into the team, scores his first goal four games in, and it’s...it’s  _ good _ but he misses Tyson like a missing limb. They call each other every night, and Tyson’s voice calms Jamie like nothing else on the days when he’s unsure, when he misses home. 

Tyson meets him in Denver for Christmas, and they have a quiet night alone in the mountains before the Stars lose 4-1 to the Avs. Tyson’s there while he licks his wounds, letting Jamie rest against him in the hotel room after, running his hands slowly through Jamie’s hair. 

“I mean,” Tyson finally says. “If you’re going to lose to any time it might as well be mine.”

Jamie elbows him but Tyson silences any response with a kiss. 

Six months later, they’re back in Victoria, sharing an apartment for the offseason and Jamie’s sure he’s in love with Tyson, that he’s  _ it _ for him. He wakes up slowly, surprised to find the other side of the bed empty. Tyson always sleeps later than him, but he reaches over and the bed is cold. He sits up and finds light bleeding through the crack under the door to the bathroom but no water running. 

“Tys?” He calls out, but gets no response. He throws the comforter off of him and pads over to the door, knocking gently. “Babe?”

“Don’t come in.”

“Are you okay?”

“Just...don’t.” Tyson’s voice is small and soft, and Jamie’s sure he’s never heard him sound that way before. 

“I’m worried, Tys.”

“Please.” Tyson finally responds, and it’s the sob that comes after that has Jamie throwing the door open, finding Tyson curled up against the edge of the bathtub, his arms wrapped around his knees and his head hidden. 

“Tyson.” Jamie says, crouching down until he can rest his hands on Tyson’s. Tyson flinches back as if he’s been burned, pulling his arms away from Jamie. “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I can’t.” Tyson admits, sniffling. “I don’t want to.”

“Tys, please-”

“My Name is starting to come in.” Tyson tells him, turning his red-rimmed eyes to Jamie. Jamie feels his stomach clench and his throat tighten. He doesn’t say anything, just reaches out and gently takes Tyson’s right arm into his hands, turning it until he can find the mark. 

_ G _

Jamie feels the world drop out beneath him. He wants to drop Tyson’s arm, throw it back at his boyfriend and pretend like he never saw it. 

“I’m sorry.” Tyson apologizes, his voice broken. “I’m so sorry.”

Jamie moves out three days later, back to his parents until he can go back to Dallas. He’s already paid up the lease until the end of the summer, and Tyson tries to convince him to take the apartment, but Jamie has somewhere to go and Tyson’s parents are spending the summer in Florida. He pulls Tyson into a hug as he grabs the last of his things, Tyson’s face fittinginto the space where Jamie’s shoulder and neck meet like it always has. 

“I really thought it was you.” He tells Tyson, who nods against him. 

“I really wanted to be yours.”

Jamie goes back to Dallas, heartbroken, and when he wakes up months later to see that his mark has grown, what looks to be an  _ l _ fading in, he slaps on the newly-purchased leather cuff he uses to hide his Name and gets on with his life. 

The next season, Tyson makes the Avs’ AHL team, and Jamie sends his first text to him in over a year to congratulate him. It breaks the silence, and soon after Jamie has his best friend again, and it doesn’t hurt the way that he thought it would. He’s still nursing his broken heart, working through his bitter disappointment, but Tyson had been important to Jamie before his Name had even started coming in, and Jamie realized he was still important now. 

Their season isn’t going great, but Jamie does make the All-Star Game, and it’s a whirlwind experience that leaves Jamie reeling and only remembering about half of the event. They don’t make the playoffs, and there’s already rumors of a lockout for the next season. Jamie goes home, rents a lakehouse, and tries to forget about hockey for a few weeks. 

Tyson shows up five days later. 

It’s the first time that Jamie has seen him in person since they broke up, and he’s relieved to find that his heart only fills with familiar warmth at the sight of his best friend. He pulls Tyson into a hug and then offers to take him out on the boat that came with the house rental. Tyson looks relieved, smiles at him, and agrees. 

“My Name filled in.” Tyson tells him, once they’re floating in the middle of the lake. 

“Oh, yeah? What’s the name?”

“Gabriel.” Tyson replies easily, and Jamie turns to see a small smile on his face. 

“Have you met him yet?”

“Yeah, I...I think so.” Jamie waits for Tyson to elaborate, and when he doesn’t he tries to fill in the blanks himself. His eyes grow wide as he remembers….

“No fucking way.” He says, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “Gabriel  _ Landeskog _ ?”

Tyson blushes, his shoulders bunching up around his ears. 

“Shut up.” He mumbles, and Jamie shakes his head. 

“Does he know? Does he have his Name?”

“I’m afraid to ask him.” Tyson admits. “After….after, I just-”

“I get it.” Jamie shrugs. “But you can’t let what happened with us stop you, dude.”

“Has your Name come in any more?” Jamie initially recoils from the question, but then he shrugs and removes the cuff around his wrist. He leans over and shows it to Tyson, where the  _ l _ is now bold, what he thinks is an  _ e _ coming in beside it.

“Tyle?” Tyson asks, and Jamie shrugs. “Tyler?”

“Maybe.” He hedges, and thankfully Tyson lets it drop. 

Jamie doesn’t put the cuff back on. 

The lockout happens, and Jamie goes to Hamburg. Germany’s different from anything Jamie’s ever known. He’s never been so far from home, and he’s surprised to realize that home now means Dallas. He wants to be back there, back with his team, back where he belongs. The Freezers players are all nice enough, and Hamburg is fun, but he won’t lie when asked. He’s ready to go home. When they finally get word that the lockout is ending, Jamie’s ready to go back to Dallas immediately, but his agent cautions him to stay in Europe until they’re done negotiating his new contract. He misses the first four games, and from then on the shortened season is chaotic at best. Jordie keeps him steady, and for a moment it looks like they might - finally - make the playoffs. Then, they drop the last five games and then it’s over once again. Before he can leave for Victoria, they get a new GM who hints that Jamie’s being considered for the C. 

Jordie chirps him over it all summer, and Jamie tries not to think about it. 

Eight days before he’s set to fly back to Dallas, he wakes up and finds that his Name is fully filled in. He runs his finger over the familiar letters and the not-so-familiar one at the end, completing a name he’s waited years for. 

_ Tyler _

He snaps a picture and sends it to Tyson, who sends back a selfie of him and Gabe in bed, both holding their thumbs up like the nerds they are. 

Jamie got word about the big trade Nill made for Seguin, Peverley, and Button back in July, but doesn’t think seriously about it until he arrives back in Dallas and it’s official - he has the C. Two days before training camp, he gets a phone call from Nill asking him to pick up Seguin, that they’ve set him up in an apartment in the same building as Jamie and Jordie, and Jamie doesn’t miss the implied  _ look after the troublemaker _ . 

Seguin’s in a backwards hat, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, when he appears in baggage claim where Jamie is waiting. Jamie feels an immediate spark of attraction, but locks it down quickly. He’s  _ exactly _ Jamie’s type, but he made a promise to himself when his Name finally filled in. He was going to be patient, he was going wait for the person whose name was etched on his skin forever. 

“Hey, man.” Seguin greets, bouncing up to him and sticking his hand out for Jamie to shake. “Benn, right? Nice to meet you.”

“Yep.” Jamie replies, taking Seguin’s hand. “You can call me Jamie, though.” Jamie watches Seguin freeze for half a second before nodding. 

“Sure, bud. Tyler.” 

It’s Jamie’s turn to freeze. 

“Tyler?” He asks, and there must be something in his voice because Tyler raises his eyebrow and doesn’t let go of Jamie’s hand. Instead, he pulls gently, trying to twist Jamie’s arm. 

Jamie lets him, his eyes following Tyler’s gaze down to his wrist. He hasn’t worn the cuff since that day on the boat with Tyson, so it’s easy to see the words on Jamie’s skin. He chuckles awkwardly, but moves to get Tyler to show him his own Name. Tyler’s arm twists easily, and Jamie sucks in a breath when he sees it, dark and clear and permanent. 

_ Jamie _

Jamie can’t tear his eyes away, but when he finally does, he finds Tyler watching him with the biggest, brightest smile he’s ever seen. Jamie’s soul feels lighter, having that smile directed at him. It’s overwhelming in the best way and Jamie feels the sudden, uncontrollable need to see that smile every day, all the time. Tyler finally lets his hand go, and Jamie’s hand feels empty without it. He has to suppress the urge to reach out and twine their fingers together so he can feel its heavy weight in his own again. 

“So...hi.” Tyler finally says, his eyes never leaving Jamie’s. 

“Yeah.” Jamie replies, and he couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face if his life depended on it. “Hi.”


End file.
